Sequel to Breath of the Wild: News and Expectations after Nintendo's Direct

Despite the fact that yesterday's Direct was a bit average, Nintendo saved the best part for the last minutes of the presentation; Eiji Aonuma, the Legend of Zelda's producer, revealed what comes next for the franchise. After a short presentation of Skyward Sword HD, and the new Zelda Game & Watch system, he revealed new footage from Breath of the Wild's sequel, which left everyone watching it with a huge smile on their faces.

The biggest addition to the sequel is the fact that exploration has been expanded to the sky. Link can now travel to various islands that float in the sky, (which was definitely inspired by Skyward Sword's Skyloft). That means that the game's overworld will be at least twice as big as the world presented in Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild since the player can explore both Hyrule and places in the sky. There will definitely be new monsters, or at least variations of the monsters in the first game, just like the bokoblins with horns or the Stone Talus with a Bokoblin lair attached to its head. In addition, looking at Link fighting with a Sheikah-like flamethrower on his left hand promises the fact that new weapons and fighting styles are going to be introduced as well.

What is more, Link's right hand seems a lot like the magic hand which holds the evil being at the bottom of Hyrule castle. Taking both E3 2019 and this year's trailer into consideration, it is possible that Link's hand got merged with the magic hand like a curse, covering his whole right hand, and allowing him to use the Sheikah runes or a variation of them with his right hand instead of a Sheikah slate. It's definitely not a glove.

The game's graphics and artwork look identical to Breath of the Wild's since developers used the same engine as Breath of the Wild for the sequel, and that's not a bad thing by all means. No one would like to wait a couple more years for the next Zelda game.

All in all, after watching the latest footage from the sequel to Breath of the Wild, it is clear that the Legend of Zelda formula is constantly improving and no one can argue that the game is going to be the next Nintendo Switch success. Mr. Aonuma said that his team is targeting a 2022 release, something that raises questions for the game to either be a launch title for the next Nintendo Switch console or not. Nevertheless, it's definitely going to launch for the current Switch system and all Zelda fans cannot wait to get their hands on the game.